Courier Friends to Follow

Invite someone to church

In the pulpit

By Edith Anderson
Correspondent

POSTED:September 9, 2013 8:00 p.m.

It’s time to invite someone to church. Next Sunday, Sept. 15, is National Back to Church Sunday. Churches across the United States, as well as in other countries, celebrate National Back to Church Sunday on the third Sunday in September. The event encourages Christians and the unchurched to attend services. It is a cross-denominational movement to reverse declining church attendance.According to backtochurch.com, more than 20,000 churches will participate in the event. This doubles the number of churches that participated last year.National Back to Church Sunday began as an initiative to invite people back to church, with the third Sunday in September being designated as a special Sunday to invite them.Since the initiative began in 2009, National Back to Church Sunday has caught fire within thousands of churches. Each year, the number of churches participating in the National Back to Church movement has grown.Churches share the simple message and mission of inviting everyone in America and other countries back to church. It’s a great time of fellowship and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.Charismanews.com reported, “With representation of all 50 states and the District of Columbia, most provinces in Canada, as well as many other countries, on Sept. 15, millions of people will attend special church services designed to be welcoming to their communities, and will invite others to join them.”Liberty County has more than 200 churches. Members are encouraged to use social-media outlets and texting to invite friends, family and strangers. Then, make it a habit to invite people to join you for worship service every Sunday. Often, they are waiting for you to extend an invitation.